


The Sound of Ocean Waves

by inkberrry



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Pre-Relationship, only brief mention of non couple characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-21 00:57:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13729731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkberrry/pseuds/inkberrry
Summary: Prompto notices that Noctis is missing from camp once it gets dark. Worried, he heads towards the ocean to make sure he didn't fall in.





	The Sound of Ocean Waves

One of these days, Prompto thought, Noctis was going to kill him.  
  
It wouldn’t be from an accidental swing of his sword, though sometimes Prompto wondered where he leaned about spatial awareness, and it wouldn’t be from a sudden and avoidable swerve in the road. No, it would be something much more subtle, something that left everyone wondering - why did Prompto’s heart just stop beating?  
  
Today might just be that day. With the wind blowing in his hair, the Regalia racing down towards the oncoming ocean, Prompto had a hard time tearing his eyes away from Noctis. When he did manage to, though, he saw another sight with just as much beauty.  
  
“Whoah, look at that! Do you guys see that?” he asked, excitedly pointing outside of the car towards where the road was leading them.  
  
“Yes, Prompto,” Ignis said from the front seat. “We are all aware. That’s Galdin Quay, our destination for the day.”  
  
It was a worthy destination, Prompto decided. Once they arrived they spent the day gathering information and mulling about, taking a short break in their trip to see this rare sight. Ingis even let them have lunch at the hotel, though by dinner that night Prompto was starving again.  
  
They camped some way away from the hotel, down a long and empty stretch of beach. Even the lights from the buildings were gone at this distance, the setting sun and firelight the only thing illuminating their campsite. It was warm and cheery, and the conversation that lasted through dinner kept Prompto from realizing that Noctis was missing until the sun was fully gone.  
  
Prompto chuckled to himself when he noticed the absence, figuring Noctis had snuck away to bed when no one was paying attention to him. Standing up from his spot on a conveniently shaped rock, he headed towards the tent, just to make sure. He was quiet when he opened the tent flap, expecting to find Noctis curled up in his sleeping bag, already passed out. It wouldn’t be the first time he slipped away while everyone else was busy by the campfire, no goodnight or goodbye to speak of. It never bothered Prompto, though. A prince needed his beauty rest after all.  
  
Except Noctis wasn’t in the tent tonight. His sleeping bag was there, set between his own and Gladio’s, undisturbed and empty. Prompto frowned, the bridge of his nose scrunching with the effort. He was certain Noctis wasn’t lounging somewhere around camp, and if he’d just gone to pee he wouldn’t have been missing for so long. Unless, he thought, worrying at his bottom lip, something had happened.  
  
Closing the tent flap, he walked the short distance back to the fire. Gladio and Ignis were still there, settled with books and drinks and looking for all the world like everything was in its proper place.  
  
“Hey, you guys seen Noct?” He asked, stopping just short of the flames. The fire played on his face, reflecting the unease in his eyes. “He’s not in the tent.”  
  
Gladio looked over the edge of his book, not bothering to set it down. Even in the dim light Prompto saw his gaze flicker around the campsite, scanning for Noctis and coming up empty.  
  
“You worried our prince ran off?” He said finally, tone more teasing than Prompto thought it had the right to be. This was serious. Probably.  
  
“No!” Prompto answered, then realized how quick the word had come, and how thin and defensive it sounded. He tried to shrug it off, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Gladio as severe a look as he could muster. “Its just dark and stuff. The ocean is a scary thing, Gladio. He could have fallen in and been swept away never to be seen again.”  
  
The snort of Gladio’s disbelief was unmistakable. He shook his head and went back to his book, leaving Prompto to look towards Ignis for his input. He’d be more understanding; he had to be. He worried over Noctis the most, sometimes to the point of fussing.  
  
Tonight, however, Ignis seemed to be taking a break from his duties as resident babysitter. His legs were crossed delicately over the other, a can of Ebony in his hand that never strayed far from his lips. How he fell asleep after coffee this late at night Prompto never knew, though he suspected it had something to do with a dark and daemonic power Ignis hid away.  
  
“If you’re so worried then perhaps you should go search for him,” he said, motioning towards the dark area just beyond the firelight. “Try calling his name down by the dock.”  
  
Prompto shifted from one leg to the other, looking past the campsite and into the night. He could hear the ocean from here, a soft roar not too far off. He couldn’t _see_ it though, and for a moment he felt like the world was pressing in on him, the darkness encroaching just a bit too close for comfort.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I think I will,” he said, pulling his thoughts away from the night and back to where it was safe and light. He flashed the other boys a smile, covering up his brief lapse. “Gotta keep him safe, right?”  
  
As he began to walk away he heard the shuffling of pages from Gladio’s book, and his deep voice trailing after him, getting lost the further away Prompto went.  
  
“Just don’t end up making us come look for the both of you.”  
  
Soon Prompto was out of range of the firelight, and when he looked back he could just make out the orange glow that grew smaller with every step. He fumbled with the flashlight at his hip, managing to flick the switch and light up the ground at his feet. It was only a small circle that was illuminated, and again he felt almost lost in the darkness and fearsome noise of the ocean.  
  
“Noct?” he called out, as much to search for his friend as to hear the sound of his voice. “Noctis? You out here? Yell if you’re drowning or…something.”  
  
 The sand shifted beneath him as he continued on, causing his body to slump forward and his calves to ache. He wasn’t used to this new terrain, accustomed instead to the cement of city streets and more recently the stone and matted dry dirt near Hammerhead. It would be a bitch to fight in, he thought idly, grimacing at what was likely an inevitability. Just, hopefully not tonight. Not until he found Noctis and the sun rose.  
  
He called out a few more times, straining to hear any sort of answer against the backdrops of waves. They were getting louder, and a chill wind brushed back his hair, the scent of salt filling his nose. The ocean must be close, and still there was no sign of Noctis. Prompto bit at his lip again, the worry he’d tried to hide from Gladio and Ignis surfacing now that he was all alone.  
  
Pressing on, a faint glimmer of light caught his eyes from some distance away. He changed course and headed for the spot, his steps finally finding purchase on sand that was damp and solid. As he drew closer he could make out more detail: the jutting wood of a dock, the amber glow of  an old lantern swaying from the awning of a small shack. He shone his flashlight at the building as he passed, reading a warning about fishing past sundown posted in big letters.  
  
“Noct?” he said again, stepping onto the wood of the dock and leaving the sand behind. It creaked beneath his weight, causing him to let out a surprised gasp and the image of Noctis falling through into the ocean below enter his mind unbidden.  
  
When the thought passed he noticed something dark against the sky ahead shift, and another soft point of yellow light flash. He steeled himself to take a second step on the old dock, praying to the six that it wouldn’t crumble. Luck must have been on his side, as he was able to make it to the end of wood without further incident, though that didn’t stop him from walking on the balls of his feet.  
  
The closer he got to the dark shape the more form it took on, changing from a shadow against the sky to a body, and from there into one he recnognized almost better than his own. A wave of relief crashed over him, much the same way the waves lapped at the pillars holding the dock up below him.  
  
“Found you,” he said, sitting down next to Noctis. He curled his legs under himself and positioned his flashlight so he could better see the prince’s face, banishing just a bit more of the darkness.  
   
“Why didn’t you answer?”  
  
Noctis turned, his eyes catching the light of fluorescent bulb and shining. Their blue was a much deeper one than the ocean, in color and in depth. They held his own until Noctis spoke and the spell was broken, Prompto able to blink and look away again.  
  
“I didn’t want to disturb the fish.”  
  
It was then that Prompto noticed the rod held loosely in Noctis’ hand, the line extending into invisibility as it met the water. _Of course_ this was where he’d been. Prompto should have known from the start. Ignis probably had, he realized. He’d said to call Noctis’ name by the dock, and here he was. No wonder neither he nor Gladio had seemed too concerned over Noctis’ absence.  
  
Still, it was late. It was late and dark and there were signs saying it wasn’t safe to fish after nightfall. At least, that’s what Prompto remembered the sign from the start of the dock saying. When they walked by it the next morning he might see something different posted, but for now that’s what stuck in his mind.  
  
“You’re still fishing?” he asked, looking past Noctis’ hand and out into the water. “Don’t fish, you know, sleep?”  
  
“I don’t think so,” Noctis said. He looked again at Prompto, the slight curve of a smile on his lips. “Don’t you?”  
  
Prompto was glad the light of the flashlight was pointed away from him, that from where Noctis was sitting he probably couldn’t tell that his face was stained pink, his lips slightly parted as he struggled to remember how to breathe. That smile always got him. It squeezed at his heart, more and more each time he saw it until, like he always thought, one day it wouldn’t be able to take the strain.  
  
Another chill breeze from the water saved Prompto from his stupor and he chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck with a gloved hand.  
  
“Well I couldn’t sleep thinking you were out here lost and dying,” he said. “It’s my duty to stick by you, right?”  
  
Noctis had looked away by the time Prompto recovered enough to bring his eyes back to him. The smile was still there though, clearly seen on his lips as he fiddled with the rod in his hands. This time Prompto managed to stay functional, a feat which he let himself take a moment to be proud of.  
  
“I don’t think I’ll get lost on a mile stretch of beach. But thanks, Prompto.” Noctis paused, the sound of the waves suddenly louder, and when he spoke again Prompto unconsciously leaned in to hear him better. “I can always count on you.”  
  
It was Prompto’s turn to smile, his wide and bright and genuine. He reached over and pat Noctis’ shoulder, laughing when he slumped forward at even the small amount of force.  
  
“No problem, buddy.”  
  
The sound of the waves took over then, filling the silence their voices had left. From here, close to the source, it sounded almost comforting. Or maybe it was because he was with Noctis that the crash of the water didn’t bother him like it had when he had been at camp. Maybe everything was a little less scary with Noctis next to him.  
  
Prompto listened for a while, picking up amidst the waves the gentle sound of Nocti’s breathing. His mind wandered, mostly to thoughts of the boy sitting at his side. There were so many things he wanted to say to him, so many words locked up in his heart that refused to be spoken. Prompto wished he knew why it was so hard, why even now his heart raced just at the thought of opening his mouth.  
  
He could start somewhere, though. He had to. When he thought about the end of their trip, of what lay in store for Noctis, he couldn’t bare leaving things unsaid. At least some of the things, the ones that wouldn’t hurt.  
  
After taking a small breath, Prompto turned away from the vast and dark ocean and back to Noctis. He turned the zipper of his jacket around in his fingers, scraping the metal with his fingernails to keep his hands busy.  
  
“Hey, um, thanks,” he said, focusing on his tone, keeping it even.  
  
Noctis tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes glancing down at Prompto’s hands as they moved. When he realized they were being watched Prompto stopped, shoving them into his pockets instead.        
  
“For?” Noctis asked.  
  
Now in his pockets, Prompto’s hands were busy picking at his nails. He resisted the urge to pull one out again and bite at a stubborn jagged edge. Instead he pushed back a fresh new wave of nerves and pressed on.  
  
“For this. Taking me along. Making me one of the guys, you know.”  
  
Once said, the words didn’t sound so scary. He was just thanking Noctis, something simple that any friend would do. He didn’t stop there though, and his next words were so soft they were almost drowned out by the waves.  
  
“Makes me feel good about myself.”  
  
Prompto didn’t know what he expected Noctis to say to that - a simple nod of his head would have been enough. He didn’t even pause, though, before answering. There was no hesitation, no moment to stop and think about what Prompto had said.  
  
“You’ve got plenty of reasons to feel good about yourself.”      
  
 Noctis was looking at him straight in the eyes again and the contact caused Prompto’s heart to lurch in his chest, as if it had somehow detached from its usual spot and was making a break for his throat. He swallowed it back as well as he could, begging it to _please_ calm down, to please let him go on the way he was now.  
  
“Yeah,” he said after a pause. He managed a smile as he agreed, nodding his head. “Yeah, you’re right.”  
  
Someday he’d tell Noctis why he was wrong. Someday it would all spill out, like blood from a wound and pool for everyone to see. The things he held back, even the hurtful things, would come out despite how he tried desperately to stop them. Prompto only hoped that when that day came Noctis would be happy, safe in his new life. By the time he exposed each and every one of his faults he wanted them to be unable to affect Noctis, for his peace to remain undisturbed by his lies and swelling pain.  
  
Noctis interrupted Prompto’s thoughts, a drawn out yawn filling the air. The late hour made itself known again, the heavy pull of sleep descending. They should have been snug in their sleeping bags by now, Prompto dreaming of expressing his feelings rather than nearly coming out with them here in the dark.  
  
“Come here, Prompto,” Noctis said, motioning towards the space next to him on the dock. “Do your duty as a Crownsguard and give me your support.”  
  
It took a few seconds to process the request, Prompto making a soft noise of confusion before understanding. He closed the distance between them when he did, shifting over to sit right next to Noctis, their legs touching as they swung from the dock. Noctis leaned against his side once he was settled, the pressure of his body less than Prompto had always imagined. With another yawn, this one quieter and much, much closer, Noctis rested his head on Prompto’s shoulder.  
  
“Ever at your side, Noct,” Prompto said softly, and for once being this close to Noctis didn’t set his heart racing. It calmed it, steadying out its pace to match the crash of the waves. With his body pressed close to Noctis, Prompto let his fear and worry and pain fade away. Someday his heart would stop beating, maybe thanks to Noctis, or maybe _to_ thank Noctis. For now though, for now it was strong, each beat holding more meaning than the last.  
  
“I know,” Noctis said, so long after that Prompto had thought he had dozed off. “Forever.” 


End file.
